Winston Peters wades in on Clarke Gayford rumours

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern may not be pointing the finger over rumours around her partner Clarke Gayford, but Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is.

Without naming anyone specifically, Peters said it was a dirty campaign which had been going for some time.

"The Prime Minister might be reserved about it but this is part of a dirty campaign and it's clearly been going on for some time, and it's baseless, clearly from the police denial.

"It's just a part of the black ops politics that have been happening in this country for some time. The only people who would be behind it would be the people who would seek to be politically advantaged by it. Have a wild guess who that might be?"

Peters wouldn't go so far as to name anyone or any organisation, telling media they could draw their own conclusions.

But he said he had been a victim of a black ops campaign himself. "I'm not going to stand around here and let people plead their innocence when their background has been one, in some cases, of engaging in political filth and dirt."

Peters took legal action against National party figures last year after details of a superannuation overpayment were leaked.

Speaking to reporters on her way into Parliament, Ardern again refused to address the rumours.

"To me it doesn't matter what you call it, and I won't be pointing any finger of blame to anyone.

"All I know is it's not why I'm here. It's not had anything to do with the job that I need to do so I'm just going to keep getting on with it and I'm going to smile through it as well."

Ardern said it didn't matter to her who was involved and she declined to say whether she believed it was a concerted smear campaign.

"I'm not going to get embroiled in this debate. It's not what I'm here for."

Police Minister Stuart Nash declined to say whether a police statement on the issue was run by him first.

"No idea what you're talking about mate," he said to a reporter.

When it was clarified, he said: "I'm not interested in talking about that story in any way, shape or form."

For the past seven months, Gayford has been the subject of untrue allegations and accusations.

It led to Police Commissioner Mike Bush taking the extraordinary step of signing off a statement rejecting the speculation.